


The Trip

by IThoughtOfRhinos



Category: Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2017-12-30 14:22:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1019696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IThoughtOfRhinos/pseuds/IThoughtOfRhinos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James is forced to be driven around by a young American woman.  He did't plan on actually liking her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Off

**Prologue**

As I approached the building, my heart began to race, slowly thrumming from somewhere in my chest, making its way to my throat. I had remained relatively calm (I thought) up to this point, given the circumstances, and I was trying not to lose it now. All those years ago, tuning in every week, I never thought it would come to this.

 

I stopped in front of a particularly tatty looking door at the studio. From inside I could hear what sounded like a heated argument blaring back and forth between a voice I recognized only through phone calls and voice mails, and a voice I knew nearly as well as my own.

 

“I drive cars for a bloody living! This is ridiculous!” The male voice spat out.

“I know James, but we have been over this. We are in a different country, and this isn't a motoring program. Besides, it isn't like this is new for you. You've been driven around hundreds of times.” The female voice spoke calmly and firmly.

 

I let the argument go on for a little longer, with each passing second I wanted more and more to run back to that stupid black SUV and make a run for it.

I took another deep breath and forced myself into the room. The loud click of the shitty old office door startled me more than I care to admit.

“Ah yes, hello!” a friendly, but tired voice offered. It was James' agent Fiona. She looked annoyed and tired, and I was frankly surprised to actually _see_ her here with him. I always thought agents were just people at the end of telephone lines. The sudden knowledge that I was being forced forward broke me from my rambling thoughts.

“ _This_ ” Fiona gestured, pushing me gently but insistently toward James, “is Meredith. She will be driving you”

James took my hand begrudgingly. “Hello” he offered with a forced smile. “Forgive me, but how old are you?”

The question startled me at first. I wanted to ask him why he wanted to know, or even chastise him for being rude. Then I suddenly realized how much time I had taken to answer such a simple question, and to my horror, I had forgotten. 'How old are you?' is one of those questions like, 'When's your birthday?' or 'What's your name?' that seems simple enough, until someone has suddenly demanded to know, and you are put on the spot.

“Uh, I'm...uh 23”, I sputtered like an idiot. I half expected to have to wipe dribble from my mouth.

James tried to hide his obvious discontentment and the roll of his eyes, but his annoyance was plastered across his face, and it hit me like a shot.

Fiona stepped in quickly, taking my hands. “We are so grateful for this” she smiled, “This storm has really put us off track.”

“Always seems to happen that way, huh?” I joked awkwardly, “Try to get something done, and something always pops up...heh...Welcome to the US” I bit my lip and wanted to melt away into the awful blue carpet. They were giving me this bemused look that told me exactly how much of an idiot I sounded. “I'm happy to help” I mumbled, face still slightly red with embarrassment. This was off to a great start. 


	2. Never Meet Your Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know you. In a classically James May way.

After some tedious paper signing and awkward safety discussions, I was leading James out to the parking garage and toward the huge black Mercedes I would be driving him in.

 

“There's water and refreshments in the back seat uh, Mr. May” I offered trying to sound professional “I'll um, take your bags”. I moved forward to take the bags at his feet, because I assumed that's what drivers did.

“Oh for heaven's sake, please, call me James” he replied firmly “and I can get my own bags thanks, and the door for that matter”.

He walked past me and got himself situated as I readied the car in embarrassed silence. I needed to calm down, that was clear, so I took a deep breath. My heart stopped again as James opened the passenger door instead of settling himself into the back seat. He settled himself in only about a foot away from me and I could barely think. I obviously had not done a very good job of hiding my panic from my face, because James took one look at me and gave a gentle chuckle. “I'll not have you chauffeur me around like some trashy pop star”, he chortled “Besides, if I sit here, I can at least pretend I have some sort of control”.

I couldn't help but smile, his laugh was completely infectious, and as I laughed I could feel my shoulders fall a bit.

The first hour of our journey was almost completely silent. James ticked away on his phone, and I tried to focus on the road ahead. Every now and then I would let my eyes wander across the massive center console to his hands, or the way his hair was falling softly across his concentrating face.

I realized too late that I had been staring, as his blue eyes turned to meet mine.

“Uh...” I panicked, “I guess we've got about 20 more hours” I smiled sheepishly.

James stretched slowly and let out a low, tired moan. “Oh good, so not long now?” He replied sarcastically.

I finally decided to be brave and break the silence. “I'm really sorry” I piped up, “I know this can't be much fun for you, being a professional driver being driven around by some 23 year old girl”. I grimaced at the thought of our situation. It really was shitty for James, and I hoped my apology might just smooth things out a little.

“Well,” he began, “It's certainly not ideal” After the words left his mouth, James clearly realized the the dismissiveness of his tone. My face had clearly given me away again, and James could plainly see the pain and hurt written there. He made a face, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I'm sorry” he sighed, “I know you didn't exactly sign up for this”

My heart fluttered. The truth was, when I heard I would be driving James May to New York I was completely thrilled. I had been really looking forward to it. It was a complete dream to be meeting someone who I looked up to so much and thought was so brilliant.

I shook the thought from my head as he continued talking.

“Can't be much fun for you either, having to haul some cross 50-year-old bloke up the entire coast” he smiled gently. “So, if we are going to be spending the next 20 hours in a car together, we might as well make the best of it”.

He flashed me a mischievous smile and clapped his hands together “So, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”

It took a few beats for my mind to kick in. I was still getting used to having James May addressing me personally. I had seen this man so many times on TV that I felt like I knew him, and I was just getting used to the idea that he might not be as sweet and gentle as he was made out to be. My heart was breaking over this 'real-life' James, but, just when I had come to terms, this valiant man showed up.

“Is that okay? That I asked that, I mean” he mumbled shyly. “Just figured I should get to know the person I'm putting my life in the hands of”. His tone was jovial, but the thought made me gulp. If I crashed us, my life would be over whether we survived or not. I shook myself out of my panicked haze, and explained to him that I had lived here my entire life.

I laughed at how pathetic that sounded and offered James a 1000 watt smile in the hope that he wouldn't see how pathetic that was. When I turned to look at him he was staring at me, almost leering. I couldn't tell if he had heard what I said and waited for a response.

When he finally tried to speak, James let out an undignified croak. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. “Sorry” he blushed, “Did you say there was water?” As he spoke, he fished a fancy bottle of mineral water from the back seat, he drew a long delicious looking sip, and turned back to face me. “You don't want to know anything about me?” James said when he was finished drinking, mock hurt filling his voice.

“Oh, God, sorry” I replied, my face again blazing red with embarrassment, “I just...feel like I...” I paused to think. I rolled the scenarios around in my mind. 'I feel like I already know you' no, Got I couldnt say that, he would jump out of the car! I realized he was giving me a very strange look and decided it was probably time to just blurt something out.

 

“I feel like I shouldn't pry”

James' familiar giggle filled the car making my heart do another backflip.

“Honestly, Meredith, my life is not that interesting. If you think you've picked up some big Hollywood celebrity Im sorry, but Im going to have to disappoint you”

“I know” I nearly spat out in defense, and before I actually thought about what I was saying. James' eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I mean, I know you aren't... I've seen your shows”

 

The surprise softened but didn't entirely leave James' face. He was giving me a quizzical look and obviously wondering what a 23 year old was doing watching a British car program, and eventually everything he had ever been in. Then his look shifted to embarrassment as he realized that I had seen him make a complete ass of himself on a regular basis.

This was it, I thought. He is going to ask me to pull over so he can make a run for it. The stupid production office had set him up to ride in a car with a psychotic fangirl. Even I felt bad for him.

“Oh?” He replied, stunned.

“Yea” I replied timidly, “I mean, even an uncultured American like me has seen Top Gear” I replied with a smile. He raised his eyebrow at me and gave a wicked smile. I had to stiffle an ungodly noise that threatened to rise in my throat.

“So, young American girls are interested in fat old sods with fast cars?”

“Well, this one is” I replied, again without thinking, “I mean the cars at least”. My flirting was a surprise to me, but when James let out a small laugh I felt more of the tension leave the car.

“So, you like cars?”

“Love them” I replied with another smile.

“Well that explains why you're driving I suppose, but not why you are driving this monstrosity” He gave me a sideways glance and another devastating smirk.

“It's a rental!” I laughed in defense.

We were flirting outrageously, and I loved it.

“Just don't crash us into a building” he continued, “I don't much fancy dying in a ball of fire,especially on American soil”

“It would cause an international incident” I gasped in mock horror.

His laughter filled the car again, and I joined in heartily.

 

The next few hours of conversation flowed easily between us, like we had been friends for years. We laughed and poked fun and had a wonderful time, until a yawn escaped my lips.

“Do you mind if I turn on the radio?” I asked sheepishly, “It helps me concentrate when Im tired”

“Oh, God” he replied exasperatedly, “Well, if you must. If you are going to listen to some awful droning of American youth, I'm going to tune you out” He pulled out an ancient looking ipod and plugged in into his ears dramatically, giving me a quick grin.

I rolled my eyes in response and clicked on the radio. The classic rock station on the Merc's XM radio clicked back on with a loud whining guitar solo. Soon enough I was tapping the steering wheel and singing along with Queen's “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” and dancing ever so slightly.

After a few songs I happened to look over to see James tapping his feet and fingers along with the beat of the music I was listening to and clearly not the music on his ipod. I quickly pressed the button on the steering wheel to shut off the radio in hopes of catching James in the act.

Sure enough, when the music stopped so did James. His eyes snapped up to be met by my accusing face. He gave me a cat that ate the canary smile and pulled the plugs from his ears abashedly.

“Seems you like my American droning” I said with a devilish smile.

“Oh get off” he said with a pout.

I gave him a knowing smile and we shared a laugh.

“Something tells me that you're not a usual representation of the modern American girl” he offered.

“Are you claiming to know anything at all about young American women?” I replied with a astonished laugh.

“No”

Our laughter was again interrupted by a yawn from James.

“Goodness” I offered with a fair amount of cheek, “You must be _so_ tired from riding in the car”

“I am!” He cried defensively, “It's been 10 hours of white knuckle action riding shotgun with you!” He moved as if to give me a playful nudge, but stopped suddenly and coughed instead. “Besides, I'm still a bit jet lagged”

I had been watching his movements like a hawk. I had thought many times while sitting in front of the TV what it might feel like to have James' hands on me, and wondered what that might say about my psyche. Now that we were sharing the space about 6 feet, the thought thumped into my head with every beat of my heart.

“How long till we stop for the night?” He asked wearily.

“About 20 minutes. Despite all of their failings, I think they put us up in a pretty nice place. And I don't know about you, but I could use a beer and some room service”

“Oh, thatta _girl_ ” he smiled back enthusiastically, “That sounds perfect” 


	3. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Meredith finally make it to the hotel.

Chapter 3

We pulled up in front of the hotel and watched as our bags and the car were were whisked off. The floors ticked up on the elevator until the door opened onto a long hallway. The bell hop opened the door to our room and let us in. James got straight to shifting his things around and making himself at home.

I walked over to the large picture window to take in the view of the capitol. We had stopped in DC for the night, and the hotel room was completely gorgeous. I watched the lights of the countless moving cars and the national monuments that were only blocks away. I turned to take in the rest of the room. It was very modern, filled end to end with cream colored furniture. Everything was very fancy, and unlike any hotel room I had ever been in. I turned my gaze back to the window and the city night below.

James was probably used to this kind of thing, but I was taking it all in. My musings were interrupted by James returning from his bedroom. “So, what do you think?” he asked quietly coming to stand next to me.

“It's beautiful” I murmured, drifting back into my daydream. I suddenly became very aware that he was staring at me. “Oh, God! I'm sorry, you probably want me to get out of your hair” I sputtered nervously. “If you're settled, I'm gonna go see where they are putting me for the night”

“I don't think there's a need for that” he said quietly taking a step towards me.

A white hot glow started deep inside of me as I thought of the implications of that sentence, and what might come next. My breath caught in my throat in anticipation, and blood rushed to my cheeks. This was all very sudden, but I guess we had been flirting the entire ride up here. Was he really going to ask me to spend the night with him? I bit my lip and averted my eyes.

 

James read my face like a book, and realization hit him like a Mac truck. He swallowed hard and swayed a bit where he stood, clearly seeing the desire that had crept up my cheeks. “Uh, I think they have you in the other bedroom” he said honestly pointing towards a door that I had not noticed earlier.

Embarrassment. That's all I could feel. It was permeating my every thought, and took over my being. The lustful, heady blush from a moment ago turned red hot and rushed down my neck and chest. I smiled timidly, trying to hide the horror of my egregious misinterpretation of his words. “Oh, right, thanks” I muttered, rushing over to my bags. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a very smug James hiding a small laugh behind the back of his hand. He had flustered me, and he knew it.

 

I walked back into the living area after depositing my things in my room. I brushed my dark hair out of my face and let it fall over my blush warm neck. “I think I need a drink” I sighed as I flopped down on the couch next to James. “You deserve one” he offered, “you drove nearly 10 hours!”

There was a small conversation and a bit of settling into the couch before there was a knock on the door from a man bringing food and several bottles of wine. It didn't take long before 3 of the bottles were completely empty, and we were back to laughing like children.

 

I slumped back into the couch, enjoying my full belly, wine buzz, and the sound of James' gentle baritone. It felt like we had spent the past 10 years together rather than the past 10 hours. Our chatter was not awkward or strained and consisted of motorbikes, and science, and music, and anything that cropped up in our heads. He explained the awkward fizzing sensation he got from cars behind his penis of all places, and I described the same sensation but in another very specific place. And we both laughed at how I tried to get around using the word clitoris when describing the throbbing I get when I hear a v12 engine.

“Ugh” I sighed, slumping lazily against the couch, sides painful from laughing, “this is incredibly unladylike, I'm sorry”

“You? Ladylike?” He replied incredulously, “After downing 3 bottles of wine by yourself? Not hardly!”

“By myself? Right!” I winked, playfully pushing at his shoulder and shoving him away.

“Ouch” he laughed feigning hurt. He shoved me back very gently and let his hand rest on my shoulder for just a beat longer than needed.

I suddenly felt childish, like a love sick teen, and we both looked the part.

“How about some telly?” I asked, emphasizing my use of British slang dramatically.

James rolled his eyes at me, and we eventually settled on an older movie that I had never seen, but that he insisted was a classic.

I finished off another glass of wine, and the figures on the screen danced and sang. I caught James humming along a few times, and each time my stomach leaped with happiness. I pulled a large plushy red blanket James had brought along off the back of the couch, and tucked myself underneath it.

James seemed closer than before, but the last thing I wanted was more space between us, so I stayed put. The dancers on the screen became more hazy and my eyelids slowly fell shut.

I vaguely remember James saying something along the lines of, “Alright, it's off to bed with you”, but I couldn't be bothered to get up, so I just moaned in response. James must have taken pitty on me, noticing the twisted angle of my neck leaning back awkwardly against the couch. I felt his arm wrap gently around me as I drifted off into nothing.

 

_James had only meant to help her adjust herself so she wouldnt wake up with a broken neck, but when he reached for her, she had settled in against him and laid her head on his chest. He froze, and adjusted himself to this new position. He had to admit it felt nice to have her cradled against him. It had been a long time since he had allowed any such contact, but he silently admitted to himself that he was enjoying it. He had spent most of the car ride being distracted by her smell, the way the leather of the steering wheel slid under her fingertips, or the small fantasy he had developed in his head of her reaching for the gear shift but accidentally..._

_She shifted ever so slightly in his arms. Still asleep, he observed. Her hand had come to rest over his heart, and he took it hessitantly.  'What is happening to you, man?' he wondered silently. This brash, awkward, socialy inept, smart... brilliant...beautiful... He shook the thoughts from his head, silently cursing himself, anyway, this AMERICAN girl was getting through somehow. He decided that it was best to stop staring on the off chance that she woke up. His fingers traced over the exposed skin on her shoulder, and as he was taking in the warm scent of her perfume, he too drifted off to sleep._

 

My watched beeped the hour and I woke with a start. I was shocked to find James' face so dangerously close to mine, his mouth hanging open slightly, deep in slumber. I was still in a drunken haze and had to focus to read my watch. Had I fallen asleep like this? Had I drunkenly tried to seduce James? These were just some of the millions of thoughts coursing through my head. I shifted to get a better look at him, and his eyes fluttered open. A sleepy little smile slid across his face.

“Hello” his usual adage slipped past his lips in a sleep filled and throaty tone.

It sounded just as good now as I had imagined it would a million times before. My heart chirped behind my ribs. “Hi” I replied, my voice equally gravelly. I smiled shyly, “I'm so sorry, I must have fallen asleep and trapped you here”

“Mm” he replied in agreement resting his head back so that it was close to mine again, “I'm clearly very upset by it”

I rolled my eyes at him and sat myself upright. A small sad noise James made in response to the loss of contact was not lost on me.

“God, what time is it?” he asked, rubbing his face.

I glanced back down at my watch, “It's only 11:00” I laughed. “God, we're...”

“Pathetic” he finished for me with a chuckle.

“We've been asleep for nearly 2 hours” I laughed back.

When our laughter subsided, it was obvious that we were both avoiding the elephant in the room. We had just spent the last 2 hours in each other's arms, happily slumbering away.

“Well” he finally said, making my stomach jump a bit, “off to bed then I suppose”

“Yea” I replied with a half smile, “see you in the morning”

 


	4. Body Language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is longer than the others. I have also bumped up the rating for the last bit of this chapter. If you dont like smut, stop reading when the font is in italics. Enjoy!

I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, now completely awake. Thoughts of James were running unchecked through my mind. I clicked on my bedside lamp, and grabbed my book from my bag. After a few minutes I saw the shadow of feet at my door. I held my breath, and a moment later a small slip of paper skittered under the door. I smiled to myself, and crossed the room to pick up the scrap. On the inside was a sloppily written note.

I'm drunk and I can't sleep. 

Fancy showing an old spaniel 

what American girls do for fun?

James

 

I smiled and unlocked the door before opening it and leaning against the door frame.

“Looked door?” he murmured, “God knows what you must think of me”

“Habit” I replied, more seductively that I had meant to.

“I saw your light on”

“I couldn't sleep”

A strange silence fell between us as he ran his eyes along my body. I became very self aware. He raked his eyes from the top of my head, down my messy, dark waves that ended in blonde tips just under my breasts. I became very aware of my cropped American muscle car shirt, my exposed naval, and my sleep shorts. He must have noticed the way he was looking at me because he coughed and brought his eyes to mine again.

“Me either” he finally replied.

 

In less than 10 minutes we were dressed to the nines and on our way to the hotel bar. The bar and lobby were awash with excitement. The lounge was dark and busy, and people stood around in groups, laughing and drinking.

“Must be some sort of party” I said raising a mischievous eyebrow at James. Soft, sensual jazz music flowed lazily out of the doors, wrapping around us enticingly.

“Then let's go” he grinned back.

“We can't just barge in uninvited” I said this more to give James the opportunity to make the final decision.

“One of the perks of being on telly, is that people always assume I was invited” he replied with a devilish, handsome smile.

He offered his arm to me and whisked me off into the dance hall. A tray of champagne came by, and I quickly grabbed two tall flutes, offering one to James.

We sipped our drinks eyeing one another carefully. I took in the sight of him, he had gone all out to be “suitable to be seen” with me. He wore a tailored black suit with a thin black tie, and his unruly hair was mostly tamed in a very James May sort of fashion. He looked incredibly smart, and it took a lot of effort to concentrate.

I smoothed out the black silk of my dress, and watched James' eyes follow the path of my hands. We finished our drinks and downed a few more before finding ourselves in a dark corner, once again chatting about anything and everything.

“Okay” he laughed, “If you could have any car, any car in the world, what would you have?”

Of course I had an answer for this question, but he was a true gear head. What if he thought I was a complete idiot? Fuck it. I was drunk, and felt truly bullet proof.

“An old Ferrari F40. They make me weak at the knees” I said goosebumps raising on my arms to emphasize my words.

“Old?!” he spat out, “They only came out in 1987! That's hardly old!”

I gave him a cheeky grin. “It's old to me, I was born in 1990”

His mouth fell open as if he was going to continue scolding me. I sipped my champagne coyly, peering over the edge of the glass with a challenging look. James just smiled and shook his head, deciding that arguing with me was pointless.

“You poor misguided thing” he finally laughed giving me a tut. I stuck my tongue out childishly and scrunched my nose up.

“Oh very mature” he said sternly, “Leave that out there and a bird will shit on it”

We both burst out laughing at the lunacy of out little argument. I nearly doubled over in my drunken laughter, clutching at Jame's arm to keep myself upright.

“Blimey, you're pissed” he chuckled.

“No chance, old man” I quipped, “I'm only 23, I could drink you under the table” I said, faking a thick Scottish brogue.

“Definitely pissed” he laughed again helping me to stand upright. “If that's a challenge, I suppose I should get us another drink”

I watched in amusement as he stumbled slightly on his way to the bar. Neither of us would feel stellar in the morning, but he was fucking adorable. I watched his every move. He looked less like James May and more like James Bond in that suit, although each look was equally sexy in my eyes. My view was suddenly blocked by a new younger man with nicely styled hair and a charming smile. He introduced himself as Mikhail in some kind of thick Scandinavian accent, and before I knew it, I had agreed to dance with him.

James had been gone to get our drinks for nearly 10 minutes. He had obviously found someone to talk to, so doing a bit of dancing couldn't do much harm. I happened to glance over Mikhail’s shoulder at the spot where James had left me. He had just reappeared with two flutes of champagne, and was clearly looking for me. When Jame's eyes finally met mine, everything went a bit fuzzy. I could only think in images, and feelings outweighed my thoughts. I was suddenly aware of his eyes on me. I could feel Mikhail’s hands against my hips causing the silk of my dress to brush sensually over my skin. He pulled me closer, pressing our hips together, but the only sensation I felt was James. I needed him touching me just like this. He was staring at me from under a furrowed brow, slowly taking a sip of his drink. He was watching me, and the look he was giving me could only be described as possessive. Someone else was playing with James' toy, and he didn't care for it. I bit my lip and shivered, my eyes locked tightly with his, almost forgetting that some other man had his hands on me.

I blame his next move on too much alcohol and too many movies, but in one bold move, James finished his drink and marched onto the dance floor.

“Hello mate” he said in a voice deeper than usual, “mind if I cut in?” It was cliché, but still very sexy. The young buck bowed up. “I'm not sure she wants to dance with her father” he replied, laughing dryly.

“Probably not” he conceded coolly, “It's a good job she's leaving with me then” He smiled smugly and stretched out his hand which I took immediately. He gave the young man an overly friendly smile, and we walked to the center of the dance floor.

I was still laughing when James pulled me in to dance with him. “James May” I tutted, “I would never have pegged you as the jealous type” I smiled with approval.

“I never learned to share” he murmured, pressing his hands to the small of my back, “Besides, what if I need to be driven somewhere? What'll I do then?”

I shook my head at him again and laughed, shifting my eyes to the floor. I tentatively rested my hands against his chest and waited for a moment to see if this kind of contact was allowed. He looked into my eyes, and for a moment I thought he was going to pull away, but instead he closed the gap between our bodies, pushing my arms up to his shoulders, and eventually around his neck.

I moved against him and we danced slowly and sensually, the soft Jazz music fueling our movements. He swayed and let me lead, allowing me to move against him in any way I pleased. I turned so that my back was facing him and pulled his arms around my waist, so that his chin was almost resting in the crook of my neck.

He could kiss me. The thought sprung up in my mind and between my thighs at the same time. He need only move a few inches, and his lips would be on my bare shoulder. His breaths came out in huffs against my exposed skin, our movements clearly having as much of an affect on him as it was on me. But who wouldn't be feeling this way. I decided it was just the nature of the situation, and nothing that I had done. The thought that one small move could leave James' lips crashing against me lit me on fire, and I let out a small moan. Fuck it, if James heard me, who cared? At least then he would know. If he did hear me, he didn't let it show, and we just continued dancing.

Ages passed with us swaying together, charging one another's bodies with our movements. I waited endlessly for him to move, touch me, anything. I was surprised my the feeling of James' laughter shaking his body from behind me. “That bloke from earlier still looks pretty cross” he chuckled. He wrapped his arms around me possessively as Mikhail watched them from across the room. Unable to restrain himself, James brought his lips to my ear. “Let's really set him off” He nuzzled his nose against my ear before taking my hand, giving Mikhail a smug look, and escorting me from the ballroom.

 

When we got into the lobby we were both nearly doubled over with laughter.

“You cheeky bastard!” I squealed trying to right myself.

“I'm sorry” he replied wiping tears from his eyes, “I couldn't help meself”

We both tried t compose ourselves before walking past the front desk. James took my hand again as we made our way toward the elevator. His drunkenness had made him very bold indeed, and I liked it.

His hand felt like fire in mine, our fingers twisted around one another's. Every time we made contact, he set my body alight, and my senses became overwhelmed. It only fanned the flame of my urges for James. My eyes fluttered as I was struck with a sudden flash of James forcing me up against the wall of the elevator. As soon as the vision had come, it was gone, but the thought left my body aching.

He steadied me by placing his hand once again at the small of my back.

“It's time I got you to bed” he said quietly as we stepped into the dark hotel room. The implications of his words made my body flush with desire. If only.

“Is that so?” I smiled boldly and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. I was entirely drunk, and James probably dismissed my advances, thinking that I was drunk enough to hit on anyone.

“Yes” he replied simply, “So no more out of you, missus”

He laughed as we stumbled into my room. “Get yourself ready for bed” he said militantly, “and don't lock the door, I'm coming to check on you”

“Yes sir” I said with the same military empasis.

A few minutes later, James returned with a glass of water, and the only headache medicine he could find.

“Come to tuck me in?” I asked from under the covers.

“Drink up” he replied simply.

I took the water and pills without a fuss, and watched James intently. He had removed his coat and tie, and pushed his sleeves up his beautiful forearms. He was now sitting on the end of my bed. I finished the water and offered up a small smile. “Thanks” I smiled.

“It's my pleasure” he said in almost a whisper, “I'll see you in the morning”

I thought of a million things to say, 'Don't go, we're both drunk, stay and shag me senseless...please!'

I smiled back, “Yea, see you in the morning. Bright and early”

 

_James settled himself into bed and raked his fingers through his hair. “What was I thinking rubbing up on her like a big daft ogre?” he thought aloud. His mind flashed back to the feeling of her chest pressed up against his. His eyes snapped open as he felt something stir under the sheets. He rolled his eyes. “Really?” he asked his now very erect member, “We are not a teenage boy. No use getting excited about anything now, old chap” He tried everything in his power to simply ignore it and try to sleep. Turn to this side... no. Turn to the other...no. On my stomach? Ouch...no._

_Finally he gave in. He rationalized this by thinking that it was the only way he could get some decent sleep. He let his hand trail down his stomach and into his boxers. His fingertips were met with coarse hair and the warmth of his member. He hissed as he took the sensitive shaft into his hand. Immediately he thought of the feel of the fabric on Meredith's dress sliding like a dark liquid over her skin. She had looked absolutely stunning in every way. He thought about her soft skin and the way her laugh poured into his ears and made him feel full. He thought about pressing his lips against every inch of her. His gentle touches became more hurried as he thought about the way she had grabbed his jacket when they returned to the room. He could have grabbed a handful of her hair and had her right in that doorway. With that thought, his movements became more feverish. He was tugging at himself, chasing release. The thought of having her against the door frame, with her dress hauled up around her waist was enough to send him over the edge, and he came with a low growling moan._

_He was suddenly very tired. He couldn't even move to clean himself off. He was spent with just the thought of her. What was he doing? As he thought this, his eyes became very heavy, and he drifted off to sleep._


	5. On the Road Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I loved writing it. Still fluffy as ever. Even more so than usual! I hope people are reading!

 It was still dark out when I opened my eyes. 5AM as usual. I rolled my eyes at the realization that I would never be able to sleep in, even if I tried. My eyes were blurry, and I swayed a bit when I stood up. I may or may not have still been tipsy from the night before, or even a few hours ago as it were. The night before came rushing back to me in a series of images and warm sensations, and I smiled at the thought. I made my way carefully to the small kitchen of the hotel room. My plan was to make some coffee and wait for James to wake up. I heated up my electric kettle in case James wanted tea, and fiddled around with the insanely expensive and confusing coffee pot on the counter. Still feeling a bit drowsy and hung over, I poured myself a glass of water, and took something James had called Paracetamol for my head. As I sipped my water, and popped myself onto the counter top next to the steaming kettle. I nearly choked as James shuffled slowly into the kitchen. His hair was messy, and falling about his face as he walked. His white T-shirt was wrinkled, and instead of pajama pants, he was wearing flowery paisley printed boxers. Even in his sleepy morning state, he looked gorgeous. He was rubbing sleep out of his eyes and clearly had not spotted me yet.

“Good morning” I offered cheerfully.

“Bloody hell!” he exclaimed with a jump, “You scared the piss out of me” I tried not to laugh, but it was not the only thing I was trying to suppress, his deep, sexy morning voice was doing things to my body that I couldn't stop. I could just walk over there, brush those tangles from his face, and lead him back to that massive bedroom to have my way with him.

“Sorry” I replied with a small giggle, “I didn't mean to scare you”

“Why in God's name are you awake so early?” he asked, rubbing his face.

“I'm always up this early, and I was trying to make you some tea, you ungrateful man”

James was still obviously trying to figure out this situation. I could see his fight or flight reactions doing battle across his face. “Right, sorry, I just wouldn't have been walking around in m' pants if I'd known you were awake” He shrugged his shoulders, and his face flushed.

“Well” I replied coyly, “the damage is done now” I gave him a smirk, and hopped off the counter. God he looked adorable. “Can I make you a cup of tea?” I asked, hoping the conversation would make him stay. I hadn't got my fill of looking at him yet, and I hoped I wasn't making myself too obvious.

“Oh God, would you?” he pleaded, “I'm definitely too old for a night like that”

I handed him his cup of steaming tea, and a couple of his pain pills I had taken earlier. He flashed his steel blue eyes up at me, “You gorgeous woman, thank you”.

His words set me alight again. I sat down across the small breakfast table from him and sipped my coffee quietly.

“So, when are we off, boss?”

He was making fun of me, I could tell, so I just ignored him. “Well” I responded, “We can leave as soon as we are packed and dressed, or we could loaf around here until about 9 and leave then. They've given us plenty of time to get there, so it's up to you, really” I finished with a small shrug and pretended to be very interested in my coffee mug. James motioned to his head, and we silently decided that spending a few hours lounging around would be nice before having to spend another 10 hours in a car. He retrieved the newspaper from the hallway and set about reading it, commenting every so often on the stories, or taking the time to read short bits of it to me. I sat by the window, drinking my second cup of coffee and enjoying the cityscape. It felt very domestic, being with James like this, but in a completely comfortable way. I made several remarks about his walking around in his underwear, he teased me about my muscle car shirt, and 8:00 came before we knew it. It didn't take much time at all for the meticulous and well organized James to return to the living area sporting an old black T-shirt and a pair of jeans, bags completely packed, and ready to set off. I, on the other hand, had pulled out every bit of clothing I had, to find something to wear the night before.

There was a small knock on my door frame and James entered. “Alright madam, all packed and...God above!” He started to laugh, “What happened in here?”

I gave him a deadly scowl, “Shut it, May” He held up his hands in surrender as he tried, but ultimately failed to stifle his laughter. He carefully picked up my black dress from its place on a nearby chair, and folded it gently, taking a seat next to me in the pile of clothes on my floor. “I can do this on my own” I laughed, taking the dress from him. “Obviously” he replied with a cheeky grin. He folded my night shirt and placed it methodically into my luggage. We packed and folded in silence for a moment. I watched how his strong hands were so delicate with every garment he touched, and noticed his eyes widened as he accidentally grabbed a particularly lacy pair of underwear. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. I wanted to keep watching him, but our eyes suddenly met. “What?” he asked defensively like I may have spotted something on his face. “Nothing” I smiled, “just, thanks. I'm completely hopeless” I half sighed half laughed.

“Oh, I wouldn't say that” he replied, closing my bag and getting to his feet. He offered me a hand up, and we just stood there with my humorously oversized bag between us.

His eyes set to work taking me in for the first time that day. Jeans, all star sneakers, and an old oxford with the sleeves rolled up, slung on over an old tatty shirt. I shifted nervously, breaking Jame's gaze. , I could only imagine what he was thinking now. “We better get going” I said quickly, trying to end his appraisal before he came to the same conclusion I had. Boring. He just smiled and took both of our bags, the gears in his head turning visibly.

I had been in his arms twice now, but James' stare still made me nervous. Everything about James was comfortable, kind, and inviting, but he still made my hands shake.

“I have a confession to make” I said as we turned out onto the highway again. His eyebrows leaped up his forehead in surprise. “Oh?”

“I've read all of your books, and I love them. And I was ecstatic when I found out I was going to be meeting you” I admitted with a laugh. I spoke faster than the speed of sound. James blinked slowly, and to my surprise, he blushed furiously.

“Er...thanks” he said with a sheepish smile. “It's incredibly nice to hear that. How in the world did you come across my books?”

“I picked one up in the car section of a book store in Laguardia on a 14 hour flight delay” I admitted honestly. “I devoured that one, and picked the others up to keep myself sane when I started my masters courses. I used them to clear my mind after staring at Chaucer and Shakespeare all day”

I looked over and noticed that James was giving me a quizzical look. “Masters?” he asked, clearly ready to stop talking about himself. “Are you still in school, then?”

“Well, I teach mostly” I replied hesitantly. “I have a masters in British Literature, and I'm working on my dissertation now”

“And now, you're a chauffeur” he teased. I responded with a dramatic eye roll as he continued. “Aren't you a little young to be up for a PhD?”

I felt strange going on about my life. Any time people learned about this particular part of my story. They often decided that I was pompous or self servant, and that's the last thing I wanted from James.

“I ended high school early, had more college credits than I knew what to do with, and got it all done in about 5 years. The job at the production studio just helps offset the cost of living.” I said quickly, wondering how he would react.

“So, what you're saying is that you're not only staggeringly beautiful, you're also brilliant” he replied with a laugh.

I told him to shut up, and gave him a playful shove, but the fact the he called me beautiful played on my mind the rest of the day. “I must also be a better driver than you, for them to not allow you to drive” I was pushing it, I knew that, but I needed to know how far I could get, how playful I could be. I wanted to find out what his real feelings were. He rolled his eyes and flopped his hands to his sides in exasperation and gave a small laugh.

The first 2 hours of the day's drive passed with endless chatter dripping with flirtation. To anyone watching, we probably looked like a pair of love sick teenagers. Neither of us noticed how dark the sky had gotten until the first massive raindrop plopped against the windshield. The rain was torrential, and traffic on the freeway slowed to a crawl. The panic rose slowly from my stomach, until it was burning on my face. At this rate, there was no way we would make it to New York by the deadline. I was driving on the slickest road I had ever been on, and I had been put in charge of the star of a million dollar project.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel. I sat forward in my seat, straining to see through the rain. A pressure on my leg startled me and snapped me out of my panic. James gently placed his hand on my leg. I only dared to glance over, but my eyes still met his intoxicating blue eyes. I knew that he was speaking loudly over the rain pounding down around the car, but his voice came to me in a kind whisper. “Meredith, calm down, darling. It's going to be alright. Breathe. It's just a bit of rain”.

I felt all of the tension in my body release and I took a moment to smile over at James. He took this as permission to leave his hand where it was, which was fine with me. He gave my leg a reassuring squeeze before pulling out his phone. His voice was cool but commanding. “Hello, Fi. It seems that the storm has caught us up” he began. His commanding tone of voice sent shivers up my spine, and I briefly imagined the other things he could be saying. I liked this self assured James. It was the same tone he had used with the asshole in the bar last night. James' thumb stroked my leg absently. Even though his mind was occupied with his phone call, I could tell he was ensuring that I knew he was there.

The phone call was over quickly, and James returned his full attention to me. “Fiona says not to worry, she's calling the producers and taking care of things. She said to go on until we get tired and find somewhere to stop. We can take all of the time we need”

“All the time we need? You could have waited for the plane”

He turned his body toward me slightly and rubbed my leg gently. “I would have been waiting for a week for this bloody storm to clear New York. And for the record, I'm glad I didn't have to fly”

My heart melted at his words, and my body reacted to his touch. The traffic crept on in the pouring rain, and eventually the night crept up on us. Driving in the dark and the rain was nerve wracking. James would move his hand away to emphasize points when he was talking or to tap away at his phone, but it always returned to its spot on my leg.

It was midnight when the first yawn struck. I was finding it more and more difficult to keep my eyes open. “If you're getting tired, we should stop” he whispered.

“The nearest exit with hotels is 10 miles away”

“That could take all night” he offered gently, “I saw a sign for a rest stop a while back. We can stop there”

“And do what, sleep in the car?” I asked incredulously.

“Why not? We're on a road trip, you said you like Top Gear, this is about as authentic as you can get”

“If we sleep here, we will definitely be mugged and stabbed” I protested.

“I slept by a road in Bolivia” he argued.

“With a machete, and a man with a rifle!”

“We don't have much of a choice” he laughed, “I can't drive, and you won't last another 10 miles at this pace”

“Fine” I gave up. Who could say no to that face? Especially someone who was as tired as I was.

 

I stared James down as I turned us into the rest area, and he pretended not to see me. I parked the car out of the beaten path, so we could hunker down. We decided that I would grab the bags, and James would put down seats so neither of us would be in the rain for too long. We grabbed our door handles and gave each other an excited mischievous look.

“Ready, steady, GO!” as he spoke we both hopped out into the rain. We dashed back and forth around the car, nearly bumping into one another several times.

“Come on!” He shouted, waving me into the flattened trunk of the SUV. We both climbed in and James shut the hatch behind us. We both burst into laughter at the sight of each other. We were both sopping wet. He pushed his wet hair out of his face with both of his hands and wiped the water away from his face. He laughed even more at the sight of my fogged glasses, and my drenched T-shirt.

“I just want to remind you that this was your idea” I laughed poking his chest with my finger.

“Let's get some sleep, and you can kill me in the morning” he smiled.

I laughed and dug through my bag as James tried to dry himself off with a towel.

“It's bloody freezing” he shivered, giving up on drying his hair. “It's because you're in all those wet clothes” I responded, still shuffling through my bag. I found my worn, oversized university soccer sweat shirt, and quickly peeled myself out of my over shirts. At this point, I didn't care that James was only a few feet away. I secretly hoped he was looking. “I've got to get out of these wet jeans” I admitted, mostly to myself. “No peeking, May” I warned with a smile. He held up his hands in defense and turned his back to the best of his ability with a chuckle. When I was done changing and packing away my wet clothes, I turned back to James. He had somehow changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a dark wool sweater. He looked warm and soft, and I wanted nothing more than to throw myself across the folded seats and come crashing into his arms.

“Lucky for us, I've come prepared” he offered giving me a little eye waggle and pulling out his plushy, red travel blanket. He looked very pleased with himself.

“I thought you didn't like camping” I prodded, pulling out anything I could use as a pillow.

“This isn't camping” he replied curtly.

I clicked off the interior lights, and laid down next to James, who had situated himself with his hands behind his head. Luckily, with the seats down, the back of the car was big enough for both of us to lay down, but James had to fold his long legs to try and fit lengthwise. Jeremy Clarkson's voice suddenly sprung up in my head uninvited, “...and there's room in the boot...to have a _shag_ ”

The thought made me laugh, just loudly enough to attract Jame's attention. He shifted up onto his elbow. “What?” he asked with a grin.

“Just...this” I laughed, “2 days ago you had no idea who I was, and now we are stuffed together in the back of this hideous Merc”.

“You're right” he sighed, “it is hideous”. He smiled, and we shared a quiet laugh. “Interior's not bad though” he said, just above a whisper, moving a strand of hair tentatively away from my face. His eyes were staring directly into mine. His words, his stare, his gentle touch raised goosebumps all over me, and I shivered visibly.

“You're freezing” he said, concern suddenly appearing on his face. Normally I would have come up with some kind of witty retort, 'No, James, I just shiver for my health', but I was still taken by his stare.

“A little” I admitted. I cursed myself for being so vulnerable, and lying here shivering like a damsel in distress. But, if James was my knight in shining armor, maybe I wanted to be rescued.

“Well, there's only one thing for it” he mumbled shortly, “Come here you pitiful thing”. He opened his arms wide, offering me body warmth that I desperately wanted. I hesitated for a moment, I thought James absolutely hated physical contact, but this would be one of many times I had been in his arms. I ignored the thought, there was no way I was going to deny myself this contact. I moved towards him, letting my head rest against his chest. His surprisingly strong arms closed around me tightly, and I pressed my nose into the soft wool of his sweater. He smelled like rain and aftershave, and the smell was intoxicating. I tried to convince myself that James was just being nice, that he was legitimately trying to keep me warm. He was just being James. But, I couldn't help the feeling that was growing in the pit of my stomach, not to mention the one growing between my thighs. In a sudden, desperate need for friction, I pressed my hips forward against James, letting them roll slightly, pretending that I was adjusting my position. He took a long, slow breath, and pushed back marginally before giving a small cough and adjusting his own position. His chin was now resting on the top of my head, and I could feel it move when he spoke. “See? This isn't so bad, eh?” James spoke quietly, as if he thought I was already asleep.

“No, not bad at all” I replied, playing (I hoped unnoticeably) with the hem of his sweater.

“You must think I am some pervy old man” James said with a laugh, “Forcing you into the back of a car at a truck stop, oh _God_!” His body shook with laughter as he spoke.

“That does sound pretty terrible” I admitted. “But it's technically an SUV, so...”

“Oh, does that make it better then?” He laughed harder this time, that gravely, sexy laugh.

I paused for a moment trying to think of the right thing to say. 'I like pervy old men'...no that's stupid. 'I don't mind' makes me sound obvious. My mind went blank, so instead I nuzzled my head against his chest, and forced myself to place my hand on his hip. My fingers laced into one of his belt loops, and I played with it absently.

The image of James kissing me played over and over in my head. _Just do it_ I thought. Just to see what it's like. But, I couldn't muster the courage, and soon we were both fast asleep.    


	6. To the City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short mini chapter. Stick with it, I will have the next real chapter up very soon!

I woke to the distant sound of a truck horn in the early morning light. I had rolled over at some point in the night. James' hand was draped over my now distant hip, and when he felt me stir, he pulled me closer. My body flushed at the contact. My ass was pressed firmly against his very obvious morning erection. Was he awake? This wasn't the best time to be making a move. Part of me wanted to tease him, to slowly press back against him and see how far I could push things. My curiosity got the better of me, I had to know if he was awake. I rolled over carefully. James was contorted into some strange position with one arm folded under his head, and the other still draped across me. His lips were parted slightly, and his hair was messier than usual. James' sweater was pulled up slightly, revealing a small patch of skin. I needed to feel it against my fingertips. I thought back to my lessons in elementary school about the difference between a want and a need. However, at this moment, I would have traded that one touch for breathing.   
I bit my lip and moved slowly, my hand moving almost on its own. My fingers made first contact, quickly followed by the rest of my hand.   
“That tickles” his voice was gravelly and full of sleep.   
I was busted. I jerked my hand back out of reflex. “Sorry, I...” there was no reason I could give, nothing that would make sense. I forced myself to look up at him.   
“Good morning” he said, his voice now more awake, but his eyes still closed. My face was still red with embarrassment. Why though? What did I have to be embarrassed about? We had been at least this close a hundred different times on this trip, and it wasn't like this little fling was going to go anywhere, it was probably completely fabricated by me anyway. When would I ever get another chance to have my arms, lips, legs on or around James May ever again?  
A feeling of boldness sprung up inside of me. I was determined that when I looked back up at James, I was going to kiss him. I lifted my head up so that I could see him clearly, and our eyes met. He was so kind, how could I do anything to ruin the small friendship that we had inexplicably formed in the past two days? What if I ruined everything? I just couldn't.

“I guess we should get going soon” I said. His lips were so close to my face, I could feel his warm breath. He moaned in response as I sat up to tidy up out makeshift bed. “So, how much longer have we got?” he asked slipping his sweater over his head. Everything stopped for a moment. I had missed him changing the night before, and now here he was, shirtless, within arms reach. His muscles in his back flexed with his movements, and I was surprised at how well toned his back and arms were. I picked out a spot right where his neck met his shoulder that my lips would fit against perfectly, and another where his shoulder blades met...  
“Meredith?”   
My eyes snapped back to look at his face. I had been gawking quite obviously.  
“Hm?” I replied.  
“Still asleep?” he gave a little chuckle before grabbing a shaving kit from his bag. “I'm going to go have a wash up before we set off. Is that okay?”  
“Yea, of course! I should probably do that too”  
He pulled on an old light blue shirt, and got out of the car to stretch. He grabbed his bag, and was off. 

I was surprisingly done well before James, and had a few minutes to myself after getting the car straightened back up. The rain had stopped earlier that morning, and the sun was starting to come out. As I sat, all I could think about was the brief feeling of James' soft skin against my fingers. I should have kept going, I wanted to, but to what end? James was sweet enough to let me believe that we were friends, that should be enough.   
There was a quick flash of me pushing James onto his back and crashing my lips into his. My fantasy was broken by a knock on the car window. I looked up to see James with his bottom lip stuck out in a little pout. He tapped on the glass with his index finger, indicating that the door was locked. I rolled my eyes, but I honestly thought it was deeply adorable. I finally took pity and let him in.   
“Sorry about that” he said climbing into the bulky SUV, “Some old chap spotted me and wanted to talk cars”  
I could smell the now familiar aftershave. “That's fine” I assured him, “Ready to get going?”  
James tapped away at his phone, answering emails and the like from Fiona or whoever. “Fiona is very cross with us for sleeping in a car park” he smiled.  
“I'M cross with you for making ME sleep in a car park!” I laughed.  
“I am a bit stiff” he admitted, stretching his limbs as best he could.   
“Thought you would have taken care of that in the showers” I shot back boldly. If we were “mates”, I was allowed to poke fun at him, and make obscene jokes.   
He gaped at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.   
“You awful woman” he laughed giving me an approving smirk, but ultimately ignoring my comment. “I will be glad to sleep in a real bed tonight, at any rate” he added.  
“Me too” I replied, “It looks like we will be in the city in about 5 hours”  
“Good” he smiled brilliantly, “Wake me when we get there”  
I gave him a look and pushed his shoulder playfully. 

We made great time, talking and sharing about our lives. I found out that he was one of four children, and I shared that I was the youngest of three, my older brother being 30. He laughed at the fact that he was older than the both of us combined, and I corrected his maths playfully. Before I was ready for it, we pulled into the parking garage of the hotel where James would be staying. I helped him grab his bag and we stood together in the dimly lit garage.   
“Come up and help me get settled...” his voice was quiet but hopeful.   
My brain screamed, 'yes, yes, please say yes'. “I've got to get checked in myself” I replied sadly.  
He nodded slowly, but emphatically, “Right, yea” he smiled weakly, “well, thanks for putting up with me”. I smiled brightly in return, “Any time. Let me know if you ever need a ride” I gave an over dramatic wink, and he laughed warmly. He dropped his bag on the pavement, and before I knew what was happening, he was wrapping me in a tight, slightly awkward hug. When my idiotic brain finally caught up with the rest of my body, I slipped my arms around his waist and let my hands trace across his strong back. He stood there for a moment, holding me tight in the dark of the parking garage. Every minute I stayed made the thought of leaving more painful. I felt James' lips press against my temple, and quickly fall away. My heard fluttered, and I resisted the urge to grab him by the collar and kiss him, deeply.   
“Have fun on your shoot” I mumbled, nothing else to say.  
“I will, thanks” He gave me another quick squeeze, grabbed his bags, and was gone. For good, I was sure.


	7. The Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter, as promised. Hope you like it! I would also love to hear any feedback you have!

 My time in New York was exciting, as always. My hotel room was nowhere near as nice as the one I had shared with James. I walked as much as possible, but a few of the productions I was researching for required me to take the clunky Mercedes. On an overnight to Long Island, I opened the hatch to throw my bag into the back of the SUV, and found James' plushy, red travel blanket. The smell of it made me smile. It was too late to return it now, so I packed it away with my things.

 

Almost a week had passed since I had arrived in the city. It rushed by in a blur, and my thoughts often drifted to James, if I was honest, I had started to miss him. Nobody had ever seemed to understand me like he did, even in the short time we had spent together. I tried to occupy myself, realizing how incredibly stupid it was to miss someone I would never see again.

I was laying in bed when my phone buzzed on my night stand. The screen flashed, “NEW EMAIL” and underneath was the address JMay070233@bbc.co.uk.

My fingers pressed nearly every button in an attempt to open it.

_You stole my blanket, you dirty thief._

_-James_

My smile was so wide that my cheeks began to hurt. I quickly typed back, _Was planning to sell it on ebay._ Not even a minute passed. 

_Well sure. Might as well get something out of this._

_How is the shoot going?_ I replied, eager to hear anything from James.

_Just finished a night shoot. I'm starving. Have you eaten?_

_I'm famished._ I added a smiley, but ultimately deleted it. 

_Put on something nice, and I will ring for you when I get to your hotel._

I rushed around, throwing on a cocktail dress, and brushing on a bit of makeup. The dress was probably just a little too short, and my necklace probably hung a little too close to my cleavage, but I tried not to think about it. If I looked myself over for too long, I knew I would become too self conscious and make myself nervous. 

The ringing of the phone in my hotel room made me jump. “Hello?” I answered. “Hello, Miss. Mr. May is waiting for you in the lobby”. “Uh, Thanks” I smiled even though nobody was around to see it, “I will be right down”

 

The elevator doors slid open, and I spotted James without effort. Dark jeans, flowery shirt, sport coat... typical James. My high heels clicked across the floor, immediately catching James' attention. He quickly pocketed his phone and offered me a genuine smile. 

“Hello” he beamed.

Always count on James to be James.

“Hello” I echoed. He took a moment to look me over, before giving me a tight hug. He took a deep breath and I felt his chest expand against me and let out a rough breath that sounded like a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. We both smiled again, and he offered me his hand. “Ready?”

 

We walked along the city streets, and I took in every exciting site. I had been to the city many times, but I was always in awe of it. James was used to the bustle of the city. He spent most of his time in London, so we was more focused on the directions. After about 20 minutes of walking, James turned to face me. 

“Meredith,” he looked at me sadly, “I'm afraid we're lost”. Laughter bubbled up from deep inside of me, and James gave me an annoyed look. “You're impossible” I said with a sigh. I was absolutely smitten, and I knew it was written all over my face. 

“Alright, May, you're fired” I laughed taking his hand, “It's my turn”. I led him to the nearest metro station. Out-of-control-James was kind of fun. I refused to tell him where I was taking him, and it drove him crazy. We arrived at the restaurant and waited our turn to be seated. The name of the place did not give much of a clue as to what it was which irritated James all the more, but it was one of my favorite places. It was dark inside and there was a purple neon glow coming from under each heavy wooden table, and all around the bar. The décor was an interesting mix of 50's smoke lounge, and contemporary night club. It was all very modern and ultra chic. I ordered the set menu for 2, and I watched as James continued to try and figure the place out. At the table beside us, a chef was using liquid nitrogen to freeze some very fancy looking dessert. He presented a delicate sphere onto a plate and decorated it with shattered sugar he had spun table-side. He finished the plate with some kind of drizzle he set fire to with alcohol, setting a thin line alight across the rim of the plate. The surrounding tables oo'd and ahh'd appropriately as the chef took a small bow. 

“Oh, God” James said with an eye roll, “This is one of those molecular gastro pub places isn't it”

I nodded and smiled in confirmation. “What's wrong with that?”

“It's just the poncery of it all. Food is meant to be eaten, not flashed about in some art display meant to be displayed at MoMA” He replied forcefully. 

“Oh shut up James, it's really fun” I said defensively.

“If the food was any good, it wouldn't need to be done up like a painted whore” he continued, “When I come to power, anyone who refuses to renounce gastro pubbery will be sentenced to life in prison” He finished with a flourish.

I laughed heartily, “May's Britain sounds like one hell of a place. Be adventurous for once in your life. Order a drink and try to enjoy it”

“I just want a pint, I don't need anything that's going to smoke and blow up when I try to drink it. And, I am always adventurous” he replied slumping in his chair. 

James ordered some beer with a name that was impossible to pronounce, and I ordered a “poncy” sounding drink from the bar. We watched as our chef used all sorts of science and machinery and culinary magic to make plate after plate of delicious food. It was a feast not only for the taste buds, but for the eyes as well. After a few drinks, James loosened up and allowed himself to be amazed. I could tell that his inner geek was coming out, and his interest was piqued by the chemistry and technicality of it all. Every food miracle was made more and more exciting with every exciting and exotic drink we tried. James eventually cracked a smile, and let out a few odd “woah”s and “look at that”s, and after many, many, many of the pubs interesting and “complex” beers, we stumbled out onto the sidewalk. James was speaking loudly, and peppering his sentences with very colorful language. “That was bloody fugging brilliant” he exclaimed, “it's still a place for imperious twats, but it was a bloody good show”

In a more sober state, I would have probably tried to quiet him down, but right now I was busy having too much fun. After a few staggering steps, James spun me around, pulling me close to his chest. “ _You_...” he started with emphasis, “ _You_ are brilliant”. He cupped my face before speaking again, “and gorgeous...”. He spoke slowly, his voice low, and seductive. Half of my mind begged for the feeling of his lips against mine, but the other half was screaming, 'No! Not like this'. He was drunk. That's not what I wanted. 

There was loud music coming from a nearby bar, so I grabbed James' arm and pulled him inside. The bar was dark, and crowded with groups of people who must have been regulars, because when we entered, several people looked up from their drinks. There was an updated jukebox in the corner, pumping out a random selection of songs that had been queued by the patrons. James sidled up to the bar for his “last drink of the night”. I made my way through the crowd of people on the dance floor to the jukebox. I flipped through the selections, until I finally found what I was looking for. There was only one song “drunk Meredith” wanted to hear. As the first chords of Joan Jett's “I Love Rock n' Roll” blared over the noise of the bar, and I took the floor. Alcohol had always allowed me to bury my shyness, often allowing me instead to act like a complete idiot. As far as I was concerned, the dance floor was made for me. I moved slowly, gyrating and moving seductively. It _was_ seductive by several accounts, but it was clear who the performance was really for. I was approached a few times, always escaping to continue my dancing alone, but I got tired of being on the floor by myself. I looked over to where James was sitting at the bar. I had ignored the cat calls and groping hands, and all for him. He evidently had been watching me. I saw a familiar look on his face, possessive, and needy. I loved it. His eyes suddenly widened as he realized that I was motioning for him to join me on the dance floor. He waved his hands in front of his chest in refusal, but I was tired of waiting. I rushed over to the bar and grabbed James' hands. He only resisted a little before reluctantly allowing himself to be pulled onto the dance floor. James gave me a stern look as I grabbed his hands and forced him to sway back and forth. He sighed deeply, shifting his eyes up to the ceiling, and back down to me in an 'are-you-quite-finished?' look. I danced all around him, grabbing his hips, his lapels, giving him a wink. I ignored the fact that I probably looked ridiculous, but I would do anything for a laugh from James. 

“You're a complete nutter” he laughed, pulling me in by my waist. I smiled and nodded emphatically. I thought that I had been perfectly seductive, and sultry in my dancing. A later account from James would say otherwise. 

We “danced” for a few more songs before deciding it was time to leave. After the sobering experience of drunkenly trying to navigate the subway back to my hotel, and walking the three blocks from the subway station, we were no longer feeling the haziness of alcohol. 

It wasn't long before we were in front of my hotel. “Well, thanks for a great night” I smiled. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. It was hard enough to let him go the first time. 

“I would say that this has been the most interesting night I have had in a while, but since I met you, things have been a lot more...colorful” he gave a little laugh, and reached out to take my hand. “Good luck with your shoot tomorrow” I said, at this point scraping the bottom of the barrel for any bit of conversation to keep him here a moment longer. “This is your last night in the city isn't it?” we already had this conversation, but he answered me anyway. “This time tomorrow, I will be on a plane back to London”. I nodded, completely out of things to say. These few days had been incredible, and I scarcely believed they were real. I didn't want them to end, I didn't want him to go back to the bustle of London and forget about me. But it was inevitable. I was overcome by the need to be held by him one last time, and I admonished myself for being over dramatic. I placed my hands on James' front, letting my fingertips take in the pads of my fingers take in the feeling of his patterned shirt. I pushed my way forward until my arms were around him, hugging him tightly, underneath his sport coat. His arms quickly closed around me, one of his hands coming to rest on my lower back, and the other rubbing my neck gently. 

A very serious look had spread across his face when I turned my eyes up to meet his. He brought his hand to the side of my face, trailing his palm slowly up my neck. He slowly traced the pad of his thumb over my lips before pulling me forward and pressing his lips against mine. 

It was as if all of my synapses fired at once. Every inch of me reacted. Before I could collect my thoughts, he was pulling away. He looked at me like I might slap him, and his lips were moving, but I was only aware of the sound of my heart beating in my ears, and the throbbing between my legs. I reached forward and took his face in my hands, crashing my lips into his, and thrusting my body forward to press against him. “James” I finally broke out in a pleading whisper, “Come upstairs with me. Just for a while...”

He kissed me again deliberately, before lacing his fingers in mine, blushing wildly, and marching me into the hotel.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Realized after I wrote this one that it has a lot of choppy short sentences. I'm going to blame it on being knee deep in Hemingway right now. Yea, that sounds scholarly.


	8. A Bit About Snogging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one. The next one is coming soon, I promise!

I pressed the floor button when we reached the elevator. We were just two of several people heading back to their rooms. James pulled me back to his side, and wrapped his arm around my waist. He pressed his lips to my temple, it was the only contact he dared in the group of people, but we both ached for more. The doors opened to my hallway, and we were finally alone again. 

I barely got the door closed before James was on me again. He pushed my hair away from my neck hastily, and replaced it with his lips. I shoved his sport coat off of his shoulders, before lacing my fingers in his hair. His coat hit the floor with a dull thud, and I almost thought he was going to stop to hang it up. Instead, I realized he was scanning my room for a couch, or a chair, or anything for us to move to, but I was tired of waiting. I kissed him slowly and pulled back teasingly before he could kiss me again. I didn't bother with shyness, or being ladylike, I wanted him, and I planned to show him. We both flopped down on the hotel bed and met in the middle. James guided me onto my back before bringing his lips to mine and trailing his hand up my thigh. I pulled at his lips, taking in every sensation fully. His lips were soft and his hands were strong and rough. This was more than I could handle, and I loved it. I moved to place my lips against the spot I had picked out days ago in the back of that SUV. When I nibbled at it playfully, James gasped and brought his leg up firmly between my legs. The sudden contact and friction made me cry out against his skin. I pressed back against him desperately, before kissing him again. I reached between us and cupped him firmly through his jeans . He broke our kiss off with a loud hiss and took my hand in his. James brought my hand back up to his lips, and kissed it softly before giving me a meaningful look. He pulled back and flopped back onto the bed, raking his hands through his hair, and mumbling something incomprehensible. 

“Is everything alright?” I froze, thinking that I may have taken it too far. “Mmmyeah” he said with a long sigh, again pushing his hair away from his face. He looked over at me, recognizing the concern on my face. “C'mere” he whispered, gesturing for me to nestle myself against him. I rested my head against his chest and gazed up at him, still desperately trying to figure out what I had done wrong. James kissed my forehead and let his lips rest against my skin. “I'm sorry” I said earnestly. “No, no” he insisted, “you haven't done anything wrong. I'm the one who should be sorry.” I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “What kind of man would I be if we shagged tonight, and I left tomorrow?” I thought for a second, “One who enjoys sex?” I suggested hopefully. He laughed, “Well when you put it like that.” He shifted his position so he could look at me properly. “I don't want to do that” he replied earnestly, “Not to you.”

He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed me chastely. My body was in a complete uproar. My heart was melting with James' words, but my loins were screaming at me to make some counter argument to get him inside of me at any cost.   
“But” he started, clearing my thoughts, “I'd like to stay tonight, if that's ok.”  
“Of course you can stay” My heart won over in the end. I couldn't refuse him anything. As much as I wanted him, I knew that he was probably right. 

I grabbed my pajamas from my bag, and changed in the bathroom. When I returned to the bedroom, dressed in the same muscle car shirt and shorts that James had seen me in before, I could barely make out James' figure in the dark. He was trying to wrestle his feet free of his jeans. I indicated my return with a small laugh, and he briefly turned towards me to tell me to shut up. 

I climbed under the covers, and invited James to join me with a little pat on the bed. He gave me a half smile, and crawled in next to me. He leaned on his elbow and stared down at me.   
“Hello.”  
“Hello.” I mocked.  
He smiled and leaned down to kiss me again. This was not the first time I had seen James shirtless, but it was the first time I could get my hands on him. Since it would most certainly be the last time I would have that luxury, I didn't hold back. I explored every patch of skin I could get my hands on, and and before either of us could stop it, we were completely taken away again. He pulled me back against him, and pressed his body against mine. I could feel his chest pressing against my back as he tried to regain his breath. After taking a minute to explore my body more thoroughly in the dark, James' hand traced its way up my inner thigh, and came to rest against my stomach. His fingers felt rough and warm against my skin, his breath coming in huffs against my neck. “I'm going to deeply regret not making love to you” he mumbled against my skin, dragging his hand back down my arm. I turned to face him, “there's still time” I smiled, trailing my fingers down his chest and letting them hook into the waist of his boxers. James kissed my neck, and mumbled something about me being an evil, vile woman, and that I would be his undoing. 

“If you're going to regret it so much, then why are you stopping yourself?” I did my best to ask the question without seeming like I was trying to push him. I was honestly just curious. Was it me? Was there someone waiting for him in London? Of course there was, how could there not be? My heart thumped hard in my chest. I didn't think I could take that kind of news. He searched my face before pressing his hand to the small of my back and pulling me in. He rested his chin on the top of my head, and I nuzzled into the nape of his neck, and resisted pressing my lips to his skin. I needed to know the answer. Why? Whatever it was, James was trying to avoid it. I pulled back slightly, so he had to look at me. “If you're worried about my age, or consent, or me going to the papers or something...” I was interrupted by James' laughter. “What?” he scoffed, giving me a confused look. “No, you psychotic woman” he smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Sensing my need to be calmed, James awkwardly wiggled himself down to level his eyes to mine. “I haven't had as much fun with anyone in the past few years as I've had in the past few days. Even work has its stress, and having to play up my James May-ness for Top Gear. I get to be completely myself with you.” he gave my shoulders a squeeze before continuing, “I can honestly say that I didn't plan on coming to the states and having a genuine connection with a 23 year old grad student”

I gave a small smile, still expecting bad news “I missed you enough in the past week, just being across the city. I don't know how I'll deal with being across an ocean” He glanced away as he spoke. I know that James could be romantic, but I also knew that he wasn't big on being over emotional and sharing. “And if we do this tonight” he started again abruptly, “I'll probably be ruined forever.”

There was only a tiny bit of sarcasm in that last statement. I wanted to say 'please don't go back, I care about you too', but instead I said “Yea, you'd never be the same” and finished it off with a laugh. 

James chuckled and pulled me closer. The pace of our chatter eventually wound down, and the kissing became less heated. Our bodies became tangled. James eventually rested his head against my breast, and fell asleep. I laid awake, with my hand gently stroking James' hair. I didn't want him to go back to London. The thought ran over and over in my mind. I admonished myself for being so foolish, and so selfish. James was leaving in the morning, and there wasn't anything I could or would do to stop him. Staying was never really an option, and I knew that, but for some reason it still stung. James shifted in my arms and began to snore gently. I remember smiling before I fell asleep.


	9. Rubbish At Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we have come to the end. I hope you enjoy this final chapter. The next part of this story is another work called A Study Abroad.

The next thing I was aware of was the feeling of warm, gentle pressure on my cheek and neck. The room was still dark except for the small flecks of early morning light seeping through the blinds. James was dressed, and leaning over me with one hand on my neck, thumb tracing back and forth across my jawline. His other hand was on the other side of my body propping him up. As I focused, I could see the smallest bit of concern on his face. I had a thick head, and knew he probably did too. I felt the urgent need to chase his anxiety away. “Hi” I croaked with a smile, my voice sounding far worse than I had expected it to. “Hello” he returned with his usual timbre, “I'm sorry to wake you, but I've got to get to work. I didn't want – ... I couldn't leave without saying goodbye, and leaving a note didn't seem...right” he shrugged. “Chivalry isn't dead after all” I said with a sleepy smile. 

 

Neither of us were quite sure where everything fell between us, or if anything was between us at all. I could tell that he was unsure if he was allowed to touch me now that the lust of night had been chased away. James' eyes shifted back and forth between my eyes and my lips, and I took it as an invitation. I threaded my fingers through his hair, and gently took his lips in mine, scraping his bottom lip with my teeth. An urgent moan passed from his lips to mine, causing me to smile. I was delighted that I could elicit that kind of reaction from him. He slid himself half on top of me, one arm under my pillow, and the other just above my hip. This new contact with my bare skin forced a broken moan from my own mouth. That's all it took for James. “Sod them all” he growled, moving against me, “They can find a new presenter.”

I didn't even have time to laugh before his lips were on mine again. His kisses were more intense, and needy this morning, as if he wanted to get his fill of me before he was gone forever. His tongue pressed forward insistently against my lips. I granted him access without hesitation, moaning slightly at the stroke of his slick tongue. The taste of dishwater tea was still fresh on his tongue, and I was engulfed in sweetness and his familiar smell. I got a grip on his hair, pulling him forcefully, but not painfully into me. I could feel the slight dampness of his hair, and felt a pang of sadness that I had not been awake for his shower. The thought of James walking around my hotel room in a towel was almost too much to bare. My insides were smoldering at the thought. James shifted suddenly pressing me firmly into the mattress, his leg placed strategically at the crux of my thighs. The friction made me call out quietly, biting my lip and staring up at James' stormy eyes.

I thought about just giving in. Just rip his clothes off and go for it, screw being a gentleman. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest as I reached for his belt buckle, and my hands froze. My eyes fell on a familiar red bird, flying in a sea of black swirls on a white background. He was wearing my favorite shirt. I had been too busy to notice the night before, but there it was. A wrinkle had set hard directly through the center of the bird, and it snatched me from my reverie. If I let this happen, I knew I would regret it. James was right, but it wouldn't be him who would be ruined, it was me. 

I pulled his face away from the now very tender spot James had been working on at my neck. He made a small pouting sound and raised his confused eyes to mine. 

 

I gave him a slow, chaste kiss. “You should get going” I said, my voice just above a whisper. “You're probably right” he murmured, and promptly returned to the spot on my neck. “James!” I gave an exasperated laugh and pulled him away again. He sighed heavily and pressed his forehead to mine. “Run away with me” he offered very dramatically. I rolled my eyes, “And what? Join the circus?” He laughed heartily “No, I guess you're right” This was our usual banter, and we both knew it wasn't serious, and we both liked it that way. 

We sat there for a moment simply looking at one another. The million thoughts that had been rushing through my mind stopped all at once. For a moment it was just James. His warm stare comforted me, and he huffed quietly as I ran my fingers across his lips. 

 

I was amazed by how quickly we had become so intimate. I could never just _be_ with someone, but with James, everything was effortless. My heart was still pounding, and then it nearly stopped. In a few minutes, he would be gone, and then what? I shut my eyes tight, and kissed him almost too suddenly. I was trying to kiss away the thoughts of being forgotten. 

James' phone buzzed loudly from the bedside table, and again, and again...

“I've got to go” he said quietly. “They probably think I'm beaten to death at a pub or something” 

“Just because you didn't come back? Couldn't you have just met someone and stayed the night?”

“Who, me?” he laughed, “No, I'm a gentleman” he waggled his eyebrows at me and I swatted at him with the nearest pillow. 

He slapped his hands against his thighs as if he were about to get up and leave, suddenly very awkward in his own skin. Everything bubbled up inside of me at once, and I couldn't stop my words from launching themselves out of my mouth. “Don't forget about me, okay?” He looked confused for a moment before he broke out into a wide, toothy smile. “Don't _what_?” he giggled. I felt my face fall into a pout before James grabbed me up in a tight hug. “I could never forget about you, you impossible woman” he smiled against my temple. I gave him another small pout. He rolled his eyes, and traced an “X” over his heart. I smiled at him genuinely and rested my hand on his cheek. 

“I'm rubbish at goodbyes” he sighed, “and emotionally dysfunctional anyway, so I'm not sure how to do this, really” he shrugged. “James,” I offered reassuringly, “just go” I smiled and gave him a squeeze.

 

He kissed my lips, then my forehead, picked up his coat, and was gone. 

* * *

 

I pittled around in the room, making coffee and packing my bags. I tried my best not to think of James, and the reality that I would probably not see him again. It was a silly notion, I had only known him for a week. How could anyone possibly affect me so much?

 

I flopped back onto the bed, and smiled as I took in the warm smell of James. I was just about to doze off again when my phone buzzed somewhere near my hand. 

 

New Message from James:

_Everyone is very curious about the mysterious woman James May may or may not have spent the night with last night. I'm afraid you've been involved in quite a scandal. – J_

 

_How dare you sully my good name, sir? I shall owe you a slap for that._ I typed back quickly. _And what makes people think you spent the night last night with a woman? – M_

 

_One of the production crew saw me come back to the hotel this morning in my clothes from last night. He's informed me that I've done the 'walk of shame'. – J_

 

I smiled and make a point to tell him how much of a floozy he was. As James got busier, the emails slowed, and I prepared to check out. I zipped my bags, and lovingly packed James' once again forgotten blanket into my carry on. I flopped down on my bed again, and glanced over at my phone, hoping for it to buzz. I started to drift off, cozy and warm in the fluffy, comfortable sheets. 

 

I had fallen soundly asleep, when there was a loud knock on the door. _Shit_ , I thought. I assumed I had fallen asleep, and housekeeping had arrived to throw me out. 

 

“Sorry!” I yelled, rushing to the door, “I'm sorry, I'm leaving now!”

“Apologies won't help you now, missus” the voice came from the hallway. My stomach did a backflip at the sound of the smooth baritone voice. 

As I swung the door open, all I was aware of was the familiar smell of leather, metal, and aftershave. James' hands immediately tangled in my hair. He crashed his lips against and pushed me backwards into the room in one swift motion. I had so many questions. How? Why? But everything pushed out of my mind. His tongue pressed against my lips, needing and warm. I relished in the attention he was lathing on me with that tongue, and I gave in completely. Finally shaking myself from my surprise, I got myself together enough to react. His hands moved to the curve of my buttocks and I quickly snapped my hands up to tangle in his messy hair. I didn't care how he got there, or why he came back. He pushed against my ass and I rolled my hips against him as a response. A low, dark sound rose from deep inside of James. His grip became more firm, and I pressed harder against him, causing more delicious friction. With another gravelly moan we broke apart. He moved his hands to rest coolly on the skin of my hips, just under my shirt. I let my fingers play with the pocket on the breast of his shirt, and he rested his forehead against mine. 

“What are you doing here” I finally gasped out. 

“I couldn't leave” he murmured. 

A smile burst across my face. His eyes narrowed in mock anger.

“You still have my blanket”


End file.
